Jack Catterall is Now Being Trained By Jamie Moore

By Terence Dooley

Former British, Commonwealth and European light-middleweight champion Jamie Moore has confirmed that British light-welterweight titlist Jack Catterall (19-0, 10 KOs) has joined his rapidly rising roster of fighters. 

The 24-year-old defeated Tyrone Nurse by decision in October to win the belt and will now train alongside former two-weight world titlist Carl Frampton, among others, at Moore’s Bolton-based VIP gym.

Formerly trained by Lee Beard and Haroon Headley, the Chorley-based boxer has rattled off a run wins since turning professional in 2012—including beating the previously undefeated Nathan Brough and Thomas Stalker for the British Central Area and WBO European titles respectively in 2014—and will now move into the next phase of his career under the Salfordian’s watchful gaze.

“Jack is a really talented fighter and a really lovely lad with a great demeanour about him,” said Moore when confirming the news to BoxingScene.  “I keep saying it, but the gym has got a great atmosphere at the minute with some big characters, we also have some quiet ones too and it is a nice blend.

“Jack has slotted in nicely, he’s now in a gym with a lot of talented fighters.  He doesn’t just have to listen to me and my coaching, he can talk to the lads and learn from watching them spar.

“The first couple of times in the gym there were things that we picked up on, areas where he can improve, but he is already such a talented fighter, British champion at only 24, and he can only get better.  It is a great position for him to be in and I’m very fortunate that he has asked me to train him.  It is a privilege because I’m getting to work with some really talented boxers.”

Catterall trained under Beard until 2016 then moved over to Haroon, who guided him to the British title and a number four rating with the WBO, but the contender felt that it was time to make a change as he bids to consolidate his position before hopefully vying for a world title down the line.

“He felt like he’d gone a bit stale,” added Moore.  “I don’t think it is a reflection of the coaches he has been in with in the past.  Obviously Lee and Haroon are experienced trainers who have both been around the game for years—I just think it is more the fact that he has come to a gym full of top fighters.

“We talked, he liked my ideas and approach and he decided it was the place for him.  He is at a good place in his career.  When you get to the age of 24 you want to be where he is now, then from 24 to 27 you are in a very important point in your career where you are either going to tread water and not progress or use those good couple of years to learn and push yourself on to world level contention.”

With things heading in the right direction for Catterall as things stand now, Moore told me that he feels a responsibility to ensure that his new charge gets to the level of performance that they both think he can reach and maintain.  He said: “My job is to make sure I navigate him into the position where he can contend and win world titles in a couple of years time.”

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